How long does untreated chlamydia last?

Without medical intervention, a chlamydia infection can persist for years if gone unnoticed [1]. Fortunately, once diagnosed, a healthcare provider can provide patients with the right medication to treat the sexually transmitted infection (STI).

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How long does chlamydia last when untreated?

On the other hand, if you don't get tested or don't see a healthcare provider for treatment, chlamydia can live in the body for weeks, months, or even years without being detected. This can lead to long-term complications, including infertility.

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What happens if chlamydia goes untreated?

Chlamydia can be cured with antibiotics from a health care provider. However, if chlamydia is left untreated, it can cause permanent damage. Your risk of getting other STIs, like gonorrhea or HIV, increases. In males, untreated chlamydia can lead to sterility (inability to make sperm).

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How long can you have chlamydia before it causes damage?

What happens if you leave chlamydia untreated for 3 years? Chlamydia is an infection and, in many people, may continue to spread throughout the body. Leaving a chlamydia infection untreated for years increases the risk of developing serious complications such as pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) and further infections.

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What happens if chlamydia is left untreated for 5 years?

If chlamydia is left untreated, it can spread to the womb and cause a serious condition called pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). This is a major cause of ectopic pregnancy and infertility in women.

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Doctor explains COMPLICATIONS of untreated CHLAMYDIA (STI) ...

38 related questions found

What the longest you can have chlamydia?

Symptoms can occur within 2-14 days after infection. However, a person may have chlamydia for months, or even years, without knowing it.

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What's the longest chlamydia can last?

How long does chlamydia last? With treatment, chlamydia should go away within a week or two, however, the test may remain positive for 4 weeks after treatment. It's important to take all antibiotics to fight the infection. Don't have sex during treatment, or you could get reinfected.

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How do I know if I have damage from chlamydia?

Even without symptoms, the disease can cause complications, particularly infertility. The longer the infection is untreated, the more damage that can be done. If symptoms do show up, they usually occur within weeks of exposure. Men and women may face painful urination, an abnormal discharge from the urethra, or both.

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At what stage does chlamydia cause infertility?

There is no time for how long a chlamydia infection must remain in the system to cause infertility, because every body is different. It can take from weeks to two years. Chlamydia can lead to infertility in women due to the amount of scarring it causes to their internal reproductive organs.

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Can you have chlamydia for years and be OK?

How long can you have chlamydia for? An untreated chlamydia infection can persist for several years. Although this goes for both men and women, it is believed that men are less likely to carry the bacteria for several years. If you remain infected for a long time you have an increased risk of complications.

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What if I had chlamydia for a year?

The majority of people who have chlamydia aren't aware of any signs or symptoms, even after several months or years with infection. Nonetheless the impact of untreated chlamydia can be serious for women, causing significant damage to the reproductive organs.

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What does untreated chlamydia feel like?

If left untreated, chlamydia can cause pelvic inflammatory disease in women, which can lead to chronic pain and infertility. In men, untreated chlamydia can cause pain and swelling in one or both testicles. If detected early, chlamydia may be treated with a single dose of antibiotics.

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How common is chlamydia in Australia?

Chlamydia is very common: it's the most frequently reported infectious disease in Australia, and nearly 97,000 men and women are diagnosed with it each year. If you're sexually active and under 30 years of age, you are at the highest risk of contracting chlamydia.

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How can you tell if a man has chlamydia?

Chlamydia symptoms in men include:
  • White, cloudy or watery discharge from the tip of the penis;
  • Pain, discomfort or a 'burning sensation' when urinating;
  • Inflammation, tenderness and pain in and around the testicles.

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Can chlamydia heal on its own?

No, Chlamydia infections will not go away on their own. In some cases, a Chlamydia infection can be fought off by the body's immune system, but these cases are rare and should not influence anyone's decisions to get tested or treated.

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Why is chlamydia called the clap?

In the 1500s, this word referred to a rabbit's nest; due to the active sex lives of rabbits, the name was picked up as a slang term for brothels, a place where people engaged in regular sex and could spread the disease easily. If you had the disease, you had “clapier bubo.” This was eventually shortened to “clap.”

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Am I infertile if I have had chlamydia 5 times?

Whether it affects your fertility depends on whether the infection spreads. The general rule is: The quicker you treat it, the better. However, the fact that you have had chlamydia for several years does not necessarily mean that you are infertile.

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Can you get pregnant after having chlamydia for 3 years?

Most women who have had chlamydia won't have any difficulties conceiving that are related to the infection. There may be a greater chance of chlamydia affecting fertility if you have repeated infections or if it goes untreated and causes a condition called Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID).

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What are the life stages of chlamydia?

Like other Chlamydia species, the C. trachomatis life cycle consists of two morphologically distinct life stages: elementary bodies and reticulate bodies. Elementary bodies are spore-like and infectious, whereas reticulate bodies are in the replicative stage and are seen only within host cells.

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Can chlamydia mess you up?

Both PID and untreated chlamydia can cause permanent scarring in the reproductive organs, blocking sperm and eggs from meeting. In fact, about 25% of infertility cases are due to obstructed fallopian tubes, Meike L.

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Can having chlamydia for 2 months make you infertile?

Untreated, about 10-15% of women with chlamydia will develop PID. Chlamydia can also cause fallopian tube infection without any symptoms. PID and “silent” infection in the upper genital tract may cause permanent damage to the fallopian tubes, uterus, and surrounding tissues, which can lead to infertility.

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Is having chlamydia for 6 months bad?

People who have chlamydia for long periods without treatment risk becoming infertile or developing arthritis. For women, chlamydia can spread into the uterus and fallopian tubes, causing pelvic inflammatory disease. Pelvic inflammatory disease can lead to ectopic pregnancies, chronic pelvic pain and infertility.

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How did I get chlamydia and my partner didn t?

Although chlamydia is highly contagious, it does not always transmit to a person's sexual partners. It is also possible to have a false-negative test result. Having more frequent sex with a partner who has chlamydia may increase a person's risk of contracting it.

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Can chlamydia go away after 10 years?

Without medical intervention, a chlamydia infection can persist for years if gone unnoticed [1]. Fortunately, once diagnosed, a healthcare provider can provide patients with the right medication to treat the sexually transmitted infection (STI).

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